Metallurgical method of treating oxidized zinc ores (calamins, oxids, silicates) by the precipitation process.



onrrnn sa aries ANTOINE HENRI IMUMKT, OF GRAlYDddONTROUGE, FRANCE, ilSSl'ClhIOR TO IMBERT PROCESS METALLURGICAL METHOD or TREATING] A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SILICATES) BY THE PRECIPITATION PEOOSEESS,

Specification of Letters Patent.

for Treating Oxidized Zinc ()res ((alamins, Oxids, silicates) by the Precipitation Process, of which the following is aspeciiication.

On the one hand, the property which iron,

manganese, and their congenerates possess of displacing zinc from its oxid, when the mixture of the metal and of the oxid is carried to an extreme temperature, has been known For a long time as a laboratory experiment; but it is totally impracticable in industry. On the other hand, I have described an improved treatment of sulild ores by the precipitation process, by means of iron or another analogous Inetal,,the principal characteristic of which resides in the dissolution of the sulfid ore in a bath composed preferably of a mixture of oXid of iron and of suliid of iron as set forth in my application Serial No. 377,591; this dissolution allows the reaction-to be rapid, regular, uniform and about complete, and yet, at the same time, the temperature required does not exceed the possible industrial limits and the residual suliid formed, on account of its dissolution in the bath, can be easily extracted from the retort, which is particularly interesting, de sirable and valuable in the case of zinc which has to be worked in a closed vessel.

Now, I have applied to the treatment of oxidized zine ores, the method by dissolution actually employed inthe treatment of sullid zinc ores and others, by the use of met als oi the iron family and of others having similar properties.

It is this novel a plication which constitutes the object of the present invention.

When blendc is dissolved in the normal dissolvent, composed, with iron as a reagent, of sulfid and oXid of iron if a portion of such blcnd' be replaced by roasted calamip, the addition of metallic iron to the bath determines the disen agement of the whole of the zinc contained in the mixture of ores, save about 2 to 3%. 1f, without any other change, the proportion of zinc oxid be obtained. Improvement in the Metallurgical Method increased and, consequently, amount of blende be diminished, the same result is oh tained. At the limit, that i" to say when dissolving nothing but zinc end, the entree-- tion of almost: the whole oi the zinc is a The residue is composed of formed slag, containing the gangues and an iron matte, (suhid and nietaili which re-enters over and over a nitely, into the process oi man n adding simply the iron, p 4y and oXid of iron necessa to llletiiliiiniu the composition of the dissoivent bath constant. Without wishing in any manner to define or interpret the complex reactions which enter into pie 5 it is to be noted that the result obtained gives very simple a practically easy means of treating die zinc ores (roasted caiamin, oxide, silicates). without passing lJiH'OUQil the very slow very costly reduction by carbon, the oniy method hitherto actually employed.

The cost of heating in the closed vessel can he reduced to a minimum by first performing the dissolution of the ores in the d solvent by means of a re'-erberatory inn nace, by pouring this mixture, which is very fluid, into a retort and by then adding the matte of a previous operation with addition of the necessary iron, the two latter elemen s having been previously melted in a furnace or in a cupola. The final residue, very fluid, runs out of the retort, or furnace, by a sin;- ple tapping hole, leaving the interior of the re-action chamber in good condition; where as, without thisprocess, it would be neces sary to open the retort, or inrnace, and re move the residuein a sticky, adherent of iron, or a portion of orid of iron, or a porcniircly outs r ihlllllll? the zw le of l which car; m ni :ticn wit 1 the (Li cl a sp cicl disscivcnt, thew Chemical c0mposition. cl which iiitwvmlrs very probably un intermediate rc-agrrnt, which (llSSOlU- tinzi pcrmits the l phiccmchii cl almost the whclc nithc zinc ccn'tziiiiml in ores wherein zinc is lound in tzitc or cxiil, cithrr l'rcsa or mmhimz if. by aha hid, cl {1 rc-uctingz; iiivtzil, birch, may, as irnn, iiiimgmicsc, 0r when-i, having the sir-me 12mm; of displacing thir zinc.

liming thus dcscrihrd my iin'vnlicn wit hum liiiiiliug llsyaivll to the prccisc n Linus and dvtnils :spccdicd, What l claim 1. 1 yrmwss 0f extracting zinc (mid. 4ii iii the {)I( (il!i( 0.? a mctiillic amid. :i metallic suliid of such ztcl'iiu'mr tcr 2m to form a dissolv- 215 or said UlBS and a metallic reag'rnt llLY- ing :1 grczitcr zil'i'inity for the. clemont with which thc zinc is ccmhincd than has Zinc.

'lhc prcc-css cl extracting zinc from cxid crrrs, which ccnsists in heating the. crc n thr pr -scucc of :1 metallic cxid and a mic-- nllic snllid of such 11, cliiirzicti-r :15 tc form it dissulvcnt l cr .suid orcs with metallic iron.

21. "lhv pruccss cf (firm-ting zinc from mid cr es which ccnaisls in healing thc crv hut erit- 1S lro l n w ,11 Cblltrillb in limiting thc urcwhich. thc zinc is combined than has zinc and lhvn collecting the extracted zinc.

cxid crrs which consists in first heating the urn in. lhv presence of a, metallic oxid, a metallic sullid cfsuch a character as to form a dissclvcnt for said orcs and a metallic rcag'cnt having a grmrtcr allinity l'cr the element with which the All; is combined than has Zinc tv rclozlsc the zinc in the form of vapor and then condensing the vaporized zinc.

6. The process which consist in. heating cxidizml zinc ores with iron. in the prcsmice of it dissclvcnt containing 'a metallic oxicl and amctzdlic sulfid, drawing all the residual nmtorial, mixing a portion of said uizitrial with :1 metallic oxid, and with iron to form a 110w charge cl the dissolvent.

in tcstnncny whercol' l have signed my name t0 this specification in the presence of two SUbSClll)! ng witnesses.

ANTOINE RENE JMBERI.

a. 'lhc procvss of extracting zinc from 

